Within the bleak and empty void,

Rey continued practicing Redwater Form until his body suddenly coughed up blood. The purple mesh around his heart writhed in pain. Gasping for breath, He turned to watch the iron bars as they shook.

Jumping to his feet, Rey ran with haste to observe Soma. His eyes adjusted as he found himself kneeling in a small puddle of blood that dripped from his mouth. He glanced up and saw a city in the distance.

'There you are, Riza.' Soma's thoughts were in chaos as they yelled at Rey. After practicing for so long, he was finally able to resist a portion of Soma's willpower now.

Soma slowly walked closer to the city like an angel of death. With each step he took, Rey's heart roared with anger and pain.

'Breakthrough. I have to break through now and save her!!' Rey retracted his thoughts as he sat near the bars moving his energy. At most he could move a small portion of it before losing control, but it wasn't enough. He sweated profusely as he worked on moving the energy away from his heart and to his hands.

"Halt! Show us your identification, kid!" One of the guards saw Soma approaching the city gate and shouted.

"Looks like we have a stray, commander!" He chuckled for a moment.

Soma continued to walk, step by step, inch by inch closer to the door, making the guards sigh.

"Just let the boy in already. Don't you see he's naked and injured? Go get him some clothes and medical attention." The commander's voice echoed as he sat back down.

The scouts nodded and lifted the gate. Two men jumped down to greet him. They approached his sides and smiled.

"No need to be afraid kid, you're safe now," the man on Soma's left touched his shoulder for a split second before crying out. He had barely touched Soma's shoulder when suddenly the boy turned ferocious and jabbed him in the neck. The guard collapsed with wide eyes as he gripped his own throat, gasping for air. He coughed up blood as the other guard caught him and looked at Soma in fear and anger.

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"Commander, I need help over here!" The guard looked up and shouted. Soma took a few more steps into the city, his eyes focused ahead as if nothing happened.

"Stop where you are, you twat! Do you think you can just harm him and walk away!" He laid his friend down to rest and charged at the boy. Soma didn't even bother to look at the man, but simply tried to kick the burly man in the chest. The commander noticed their shouting and creased his eyebrows.

Citizens watched in horror from the streets and looked at the guard peculiarly. They saw a strong and towering man swinging his fist at a defenseless and naked boy trying to protect himself. The expected scene where the kid was pummeled by the man didn't happen, however. The boy's gentle kick seemed to contain boundless energy as the man was launched backward.

"Men, apprehend that child! Don't let him escape." Flabbergasted, the commander frantically got to his feet and surrounded him. Determined, Soma walked forward despite twenty-something soldiers forming a circle around him. Like a king looking down on the peasants, Soma spat on the floor and stared coldly at the commander.

"Whatever the cost, make sure this kid is stopped; use whatever force is necessary!" The commander stilled his voice and sweat formed on his brows.

The soldiers heard his order and pulled out their swords, daggers, and bows. Some immediately tried to suppress the boy and bind him, but there seemed to be no change to the kid. Thick vines grew from the cracks in the stone ground and sought to tangle Soma. The green vines intertwined and constricted his legs as another man swung a club at Soma's head.

Soma swung his head downward and kicked off with his feet. The vines ripped apart from his strength as he flipped over the club and, using his momentum, kicked another man in the throat. With each attack, he managed to stay in the air using his kicks. His speed shocked the rest of the guards as one by one, they collapsed. In moments, over half of the soldiers were gasping for air as blood filled their lungs.

"You!" The commander pointed at a female scout and shouted, "Go request backup, fast!"

The woman stumbled back and ran off as the rest fought the boy in panic. Even with all of the incoming attacks, Soma never once changed his focus. His gaze was still looking deep into the city. The commander saw that Soma kept redirecting their attacks at each other and became even more furious.

"Everyone, back away. I'll handle this!" His voice quivered as he yelled and unsheathed two swords. "Your opponent is me, kid!" Lightning crackled to the tip of the metal blades and shot towards the boy. The commander's lightning struck Soma head-on. He was relieved that he hit Soma, but it was at this moment Soma turned his head to the commander. Fear crawled underneath his skin as he stared into Soma's eyes, his will obviously shaken. No damage seemed to have been done to the boy, which made the commander even more unsettled.

"I refuse to believe I cannot handle a single kid in battle!" He shouted aloud as if to reassure himself. With his swords in hand, waves of electricity crashing into Soma. The kid's fingers twitched as he continued walking toward the commander. Gritting his teeth, he ran to Soma and aimed to kill. Like a phantom, however, Soma evaded each attack as his image blurred to the point the commander couldn't distinguish his movement. With each slash, he caught air. He swung his swords repeatedly hundreds of times but could not cut a single hair off the boy's head.

When Soma was close enough, he punched the commander in the chest. Coughing up blood, the commander stumbled backward with a pale face. With the defeat of their commander, the rest of the guards hesitated to fight. Left with a bitter feeling, the soldiers chose not to fight and helped their commander stay alive as Soma strode further into the city.